Control systems



Nov. 15, 1960 w. B. ELMER ETAL 2,960,054

CONTROL SYSTEMS Filed March 8. 1946 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS ma, w

ATTORNEY Nov. 15, 1960 w. B. ELMER ETAL 2,960,054

CONTROL SYSTEMS Filed March 8, 1946 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Nov. 15, 1960 w. B. ELMER ETAL 2,960,054

CONTROL SYSTEMS Filed March 8. 1946 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY CONTROL SYSTEMS Filed March 8, 1946 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 www. MM

ATTORNEY Nov. l5, '1960 w. B. ELMER ETAL 2,960,054

CONTROL SYSTEMS Filed March 8, 1946 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY Nov. 15, 1960 w. B. ELMER Erm.

CONTROL SYSTEMS 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed March 8, 1946 A E WEE WITNESSES: M1 MMA?.

ATTORNEY CONTROL SYSTEMS William B. Elmer, Lakewood, Uhio, and Ralph R. Rimer,

Sharon, and Harry S. Reizenstein, Farrell, Pa., assignors, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Filed Mar. 8, 1946, Sel'. No. 652,904

3 Claims. (Cl. 114-20) Our invention relates to torpedoes and, more particularly, to torpedoes used as moored mines.

A torpedo-mine, though having the conventional shape of a torpedo and having many of the functions of a conventional torpedo, must satisfy a number of requirements not applicable to a conventional torpedo. For example, a torpedo-mine, when moored, must be normally buoyant, must set itself in operation when a target is near, must be provided with stable mooring devices and means for disconnecting the mooring anchor from the torpedo when a target is sensed by the target sensing equipment, the internal structure and arrangement of the parts must be such that stable mooring and stable operation is possible, the propulsion battery must be a primary battery and not a storage battery which would' deteriorate during the dormant period, the torpedo must be silent in operation, etc.

One object of our invention is to improve the structure and internal arrangement of the various elements of a torpedo that stable mooring'and stable operation may be obtained.

Another object of our invention is to so construct the torpedo that the explosive charge and other elements in the torpedo give lthe torpedoa list just suicient to compensate for the torque produced on 'the torpedo about the longitudinal axis of the torpedo by reason of the use of a single relatively silent propeller.

i A still further object of our invention is the provision of a torpedo structure such that the anchor cable emerges at the longitudinal center of displacement and that the center of gravity coincides with the center of displacement onthis axis. i

Other objects and advantages will become moreapparent from the followingV speciiication and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure V1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the noseV piece and a portion of the warhead;

' Fig. 2 is a showing, in longitudinal section, of the aft end of the warhead and a portion of the forward end of the torpedo section housing some of the arming equipment and the detonator; t

Fig. 3 is a showing, in longitudinal section, of the body portion of the torpedo for housing the mooring anchor and shows the forward end of the battery and battery housing, or compartment;

Fig. 4 is a showing, in longitudinal section, of the aft end of the battery compartment, and a showing of the afterbody housing, among other elements, the inertia starting switch;

Fig. 5 is a showing, in longitudinal section, of the tailcone of our novel torpedo; and

`Fig. 6 is a showing of the arrangement of the secondary battery when the torpedo is arranged for exercise runs only.

The nose 1 is of generally conventional shape and houses the acoustic equipment 2 that is sensitive to marine sounds that sense the presence of a target within the range of the torpedo. The acoustic equipment per se is 4the anchor settles on bottom, the mooring cable, not

of the section 3 so that the plane of the partition is sub stantially parallel to the geometric axis of the section 3.

The plane dened by the axis of the'steering ruddersV and the longitudinal, or geometric, axis of the torpedoV is designated the vertical plane and in normal oper-ation when the torpedo is underway toward the target, this vertical plane is supposed to lie in a vertical position, i.e., is supposed to include the plumb line intersecting the geometric axis of the torpedo. It is one of the purposes of our invention that this required function of the torpedo is obtained during a normal run.

The partition 4 is so placed that its plane makes an angle below the partition substantially 55 with the vertical plane and intersects this vertical plane in a line disposed at a distance of about two inches from the geometric axis of the torpedo. This speciiic distance is not a limitation of our invention, but tits substantially the requirements of a torpedo of the standard diameter of twenty-one inches and conventional weight distribution.

'Ihe ends of the cylindrical section of the warhead below the partition 4 is provided with the bulkheads 5 and 6 and contains the explosive charge.

From the construction of the warhead and the disposition of the partition 4 therein just explained, it is apparent that the center of gravity of the explosive charge is thus located olf-center in both the vertical and horizontal planes. 'Ihe off-center location is carefully so selected that its moment about the geometric axis during motion of the torpedo through the water under the propulsive force of the single propeller `29 is just sufficient to compensate for the torque of thepropeller produced on the torpedo about the tor-pedo axis. During normal full speed operation of the torpedo, the vertical plane, as hereinbefore detined, of the torpedo, will actually fall in a vertical position. A single propeller is very much needed with this type of mine controlled by acoustic equipment. A single propeller, particularly if properly designed for an application of this type, is vrelatively silent. Further, a single propeller can be directly coupled to the propulsion motor M without the use of transmission gearing and diierential gears. Self-noise of the torpedo is thus reduced to a minimum.

This oiicenter disposition of the center of gravity of the explosive charge prevents the torpedo from iloating level but the present torpedo will list -at an angle of 23 from the horizontal when resting in the water after the mooring anchor is dropped tree of the torpedo.

In order that the anchor cable be attached to the torpedo body at the true bottom point during the moored condition of the torpedo, the entire anchor cavity, or chamber, 7 and the anchor therein is installed in the torpedo at an angle of 23 to one side of the vertical plane of the torpedo.

'Ihe guide studs, or ribs, 8 kare located in the vertical plane of the torpedo and the torpedo is launched from its tube so that its vertical plane is in a true vertical position. As soon as the torpedo is in the water without motor running, the offset weight of the explosive charge causes the torpedo to keel over to 23. The door 9 for the anchor cavity is thus at the true bottom and opens after a predetermined time delay so -that the mooring anchor descends vertically from the anchor cavity. When Patented Nov. 15, 196() shown, becomes taut, emerging from the cavity 7 near the aft mid-region of the cavity.v The anchor cavity is so placed that the point of emergence of the mooring cable is at the longitudinal center of the displacement of the body and in line with the over-all center of gravity of the torpedo.

The mooring anchor and its construction is no part of our present invention. For a more detailed description, reference may be had to the joint copending application of William B. Elmer and Charles W. Smith, tiled March 17, 1945, Serial No. 583,324, entitled Control Devices.

Since the body of the torpedo remains moored so that its vertical plane is actually not vertical, all controls, including the listening phones, relays, motor contactors, etc., elements which perform their functions during the moored phase of operation of the torpedo, are installed, like the mooring anchor cavity, at an angle of 23 from a vertical position.

The propulsion battery B is arranged to slide into the aft end, at 10, into the battery compartment on two angle iron guides 11 so placed as to support the battery along the two lower edges of the case. A battery hold-down clamp 12 is provided. This clam-p consists of a channel 13 arranged in the top of the compartment, with the flat center surface of the channel bearing down on the middle of the battery case. Sloping cuts 14 yare provided in the side walls of the channel 13. Transverse pins 15 and 16 xed in the top of the torpedo shell engage these slots. Tightening the bolt 17 at the aft end of the battery compantment-which bolts are set lat the same angle as the slots )i4-provides the clamping action to rmly hold the battery in position.

Two lateral horizontal braces 18 yand 19 are placed against the aft end of the b-attery case and hold the battery rmly against the vertical angles 20 -at the forward end. The vertical angles 20 are adjustable longitudinally of the torpedo yand since the braces are also adjustable longitudinally, it is apparent that the battery may be shifted fore and aft, thereby providing for suitable trim of the torpedo-mine.

The after body 21 houses the inertia-responsive starting gear 22, the control batteries 23 and the steering relay panel.

The tailcone 24 is arranged to house the propulsion motor M, the electric starting contactor mounted thereon at an angle of 23, the propeller shaft 25, steering solenoids, elevator rudder control solenoids 26, the horizontal stability control surfaces, the ns 27 and 28 `and the propeller 29.

The tailcone is so constructed to admit a minimum of water. For this purpose, the aft bulkhead 30 is set as -far back in the tailcone as possible without interference with the gasket ring and shaft seal 32. The four solenoids, two only vbeing visible in Fig. 5, are mounted on a common plate 34 set forward of the bulkhead 39. The solenoid tubes 35 extend forward from the aft bulkhead Sil into the respective solenoid coils shown.

The main thrust bearing 4t) of the propeller shaft is located at the a-ft tip of the tailcone where the propeller end thrust is transmitted directly to the rear of the torpedo without involvement of the main motor bearings.

The wires from the elecrical components in each compartment are collected into a cable 41 (Fig. 1) terminating into the radio tube type disconnecting plugs as 42 and 43, so that the various sections of the torpedo can be assembled conveniently by rst joining the plugs, as 42 and 43, between the compartments and then bolting them together at the joint rings, as y4d and 45.

Since there are no electrical components in the Warhead, the cable 41 leading from the nose to the battery compartment is made long enough to extend entirely through the open space above the partition 4, the cable resting in the spring insulating clips 41A shown.

When the torpedo is used for exercise runs, storage batteries are used. The use of primary batteries would be too expensive because such primary batteries Iare expended in use. Storage batteries are heavier than primary batteries but by positioning one section of the storage battery in the battery compartment and another section in the exercise head, corresponding in position to the warhead, yand using shiftable lead ballast blocks in addition to the test battery section in the region normally corresponding to the position of the explosive charge in the warhead the warshot conditions of lweight distribution are simulated.

The subject-matter described generally in the preceding paragraph is in part shown in Fig. 6. The portion of the storage battery used will be mounted in section 8 exactly as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The portion used at the forward end is mounted in section 103. This section corresponds to section 3 but is designed to house the storage battery B1.

This storage battery B1 is arranged to slide into the aft end, at 110, into the battery compartment on two angle irons or guides 111 so placed as to support the battery along the two lower edges of the case. A battery holddown clamp 112 is provided. This clamp consists of a channel 113 arranged in the top of the compartment, with the flat center surface of the channel bearing down on the middle of the battery oase. Sloping cuts 114 are provided in the side walls of the channel 113. Transverse pins 115 and 116 xed in the top of the torpedo shell engage these slots. Tightening o-f the bolts 117 at the aft end of the compartment M13-which bolts are set at the same angle as the slots 114-provides the clamping yaction to rmly hold the battery B1 in position.

The conduit 141 is similar to conduit 41 except that a different group of leads are carried by it depending on the electrical equipment in the exercise nose.

To aid in giving the torpedo designed for exercise runs the proper trim, we position a selected number of lead lblocks LB at the forward end of rails 111.

While we have shown and described but one detailed structural arrangement, We do not wish to be limited to the particular showing made but wish to be limited only by `the scope of the claims hereto appended.

We claim as our invention:

l. In a torpedo-mine having a propulsion motor, a propulsion battery, a mooring anchor and cable inter-connecting the mooring anchor and the torpedo-mine, and other elements essential in this type of ordnance equipment, in combination, a rectangular at partition disposed longitudinally of the forward region of the torpedo-mine, said partition being disposed at an angle to the vertical plane and so positioned in the torpedo body that the plane of the partition passes above the geometric axis of the torpedo, a circularsegment at each end of the partition one engaging the inner surface of the torpedo and one end of the partition and the other e11- gaging the inner surface of the torpedo and the other end of the partition, whereby a chamber is provided for the explosive charge below the partition and between said circular segments of such disposition with reference to the geometric axis of the torpedo that the center of gravity of the explosive charge is off center both with reference to the vertical plane and the horizontal plane of the torpedo, an anchor cavity in the torpedo, said anchor cavity being so located angularly of the torpedo that `the mooring anchor descends vertically from the cavity after the moment produced on the torpedo by the off center location of the explosive charge causes the torpedo to keel over.

2. In a torpedo-mine having a propulsion motor, a propulsion battery, a mooring anchor and cable interconnecting the mooring yanchor and the torpedo-mine, and other elements essential in this type of ordnance equipment, in combination, a rectangular at partition disposed longitudinally of the forward region of the torpedo-mine, said partition being disposed at an angle to the vertical plane and so positioned in the torpedo body that the plane of the partition passes above the geometric axis of the torpedo, a circular segment at each end of the partition one engaging the inner surface of the torpedo and one end of the partition and the other engaging the inner surface of the torpedo and the other end of the partition, whereby a chamber is provided for the explosive charge below the partition and between said circular segments of such disposition with reference to the geometric axis of the torpedo that the center of gravity of the explosive charge is oi center both with reference to the vertical plane and the horizontal plane of the torpedo, a single propeller for the torpedo, the off center positioning of the center of gravity of the explosive charge being so selected as to compensate the torque the single propeller produces about the longitudinal axis of the torpedo during full speed operation of the propeller, an anchor cavity in the torpedo, said anchor cavity being so located angularly of the torpedo that the mooring anchor descends vertically from the cavity after the moment produced on the torpedo by the oi center location of the explosive charge causes the torpedo to keel over.

3. Ina torpedo-mine having a propulsion motor, a propulsion battery, a mooring anchor and cable inter-connectin-g the mooring anchor and the torpedo-mine, and

other elements essential in this type of ordnance equipment, in combination, a rectangular partition disposed longitudinally of the forward region of the torpedo-mine, said partition being disposed at an angle to the vertical plane and so positioned in the torpedo body that the plane of the partition passes above the geometric axis of the torpedo, a circular segment at each end of the partition one engaging the inner surface of the torpedo androne end of the partition and the other engaging the inner surface of the torpedo and the other end of the partition, whereby a chamber is provided for the explosive charge below the partition and between said circular segments of such disposition with reference to the geometric axis of the torpedo that the center of gravity of the explosive charge is o center both with reference to the vertical plane and the horizontal plane of the torpedo, a single propeller for the torpedo, the ot center positioning of the center of gravity of the explosive charge being so selected as to compensate the torque the single propeller produces about the longitudinal axis o-f the torpedo during full speed operation of the propeller, control apparatus in the torpedo, said control apparatus being mounted in the torpedo so that the center of gravity of this apparatus falls outside the plane defined by the geometrical axis and the center of gravity of the explosive charge, an anchor cavity in the torpedo, said anchor cavity being so located angularly of the torpedo that the mooring anchor descends vertically from the cavity after the moment produced on the torpedo by the off center location of the explosive charge causes the torpedo to keel over, a battery support for the propulsion battery, and means for shifting the battery on the support longitudinally of the torpedo to thus adjust :the

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 41,365 Carver Jan. 26, 1864 581,213 Lake Apr. 20, 1897' 910,823 Jones Ian. 26, 1909 1,097,700 Whiting May 26, 1914 1,188,842 Schrumpf June 27, 1916 1,460,175 Rayder June 26, 1923 2,164,340 Morgan et al. July 4, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 15,774 Great Britain 1888 216 Great Britain Ian. 4, 1905 750,402 France Aug. 10, 1933 

